Sanchez is out of contract in the summer, when he can leave the Gunners on a free transfer, but Pep Guardiola is believed to want to pay around £25m to sign him now after Gabriel Jesus suffered a serious injury.

But Conte, who has praised Sanchez in the past, believes Arsenal are likely to hold on to their star man and expects him to start in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final.

Conte has previously shared his appreciation for what a good player Sanchez is (Picture: Getty)

Ahead of facing the Gunners, the Italian said: ‘My expectation is to see the best team from Arsenal. I have this expectation to play against the best team.

‘For sure we are talking about an important player, about a good player. In my opinion I think Sanchez will finish the season at Arsenal…this is my opinion, I don’t know.